The Year That Killed the Notion That Women Aren't Funny

These 7 moments from these hilarious women make us pee our pants.

The pathetic argument that women aren't funny was laughable when it was published in Vanity Fair seven years ago. But in 2014 the notion was killed and buried—and a bunch of hilarious ladies peed on its grave. This truly has been a banner year for women in comedy, from the premiere of Broad City on Comedy Central to Chelsea Peretti's stand-up special One of the Greats to Leslie Jones's Saturday Night Live debut. There are so many amazing moments to choose from, but here are seven to return to whenever you need to laugh so hard you snort.

Lane Savage

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Broad City is about two Brooklyn-based best friends, Abbi and Ilana. On paper it sounds like a slapstick version of Girls, but it's so, so much more than that. It's about being stoned at the dentist's office and crawling around on the floor. It's about working crappy jobs and not caring about them. It's about being BFF in a way that is supportive and (almost carnally) loving and not in a way that's weird and competitive. It's also insanely gif-able:

Comedy Central

And here's a clip of Abbi and Ilana at Abbi's birthday dinner, where Ilana gorges on shellfish despite being allergic to it, and Abbi gets a condom stuck inside her:

Amy Schumer, whose show is also on Comedy Central, really hit her stride this year. She has some of the funniest, most searing commentary on being a woman since Margaret Cho. She talks about sexting, porn, dating, and body image in ways that are dead on. This is best exemplified by a sketch called "I'm So Bad," part of this year's season of Inside Amy Schumer. Four friends are sitting around a table comparing food crimes, and actual crimes—and all anyone can pay attention to is the food. For example: "I was cyberbullying my niece on Instagram and I literally ate 15 mini muffins." Watch the rest below.

Stand-up comic Leslie Jones has injected some much-needed energy into Saturday Night Live. Her bits on "Weekend Update" are always unpredictable and gut-busting, and sometimes controversial. With SNL in an otherwise staid rebuilding year, it's refreshing to see a black woman really tear it up on a show that, historically, failed to recognize black female talent.

Charles Sykes

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Lena Dunham has taken a lot of unnecessary and toxic shit this year. Which is a shame, because her memoir, Not That Kind of Girl, is entertaining, well-written, and damn funny, and I hope those truths are not overshadowed by the lameness that has befallen her. The book has its serious moments, examining everything from the trauma of sexual assault to the piercing emotions of true love. But it's also peppered with silly and endearing lists, like "18 Unlikely Things I've Said Flirtatiously," which includes things like: "I only get BO in one armpit. Swear. Same with my mother." And "I was a really chubby teenager, covered in a thick layer of grease. Seriously, I'll show you a picture."

Evan Sung

Chelsea Peretti plays delightful weirdo Gina on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and her stand-up persona is a slightly less bizarre version of the same quirky girl. Her Netflix special, One of the Greats, is meant to be jokingly hyperbolic, but it's actually true. She lands jokes like, "Do you think it's worse to wear a fedora, or kill 15 people?" And anyone who can pull that off deserves major credit.

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Steven Brahms

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Morgan Murphy started out writing for late-night shows, but has come into her own as a comedian. With her special, Irish Goodbye, which came out on Netflix this year, she nails her deadpan persona. On drinking in New York, where the bars are open until 4, vs. drinking in L.A., where the bars are open until 2: "If you're drinking at 4 A.M., you should not be out and about with other people. You should be home alone, crying."

NBC

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Amy Poehler can do it all. It's not just that she's a great actress and improviser: 2014 proved that she can be funny on the page, too. Her memoir, Yes, Please, is now a best seller, and she doles out frank, commonsense, and funny advice on a lot of topics, including sex:

"Get better at dirty talk. Act like a bossy lady ordering at a deli. 'I want the ham on rye and make sure you toast it!' If your guy is bad at dirty talk, tell him to shut up. He might like that. If you don't like dirty talk, don't worry about it. It's pretty hot if done well but it may not be up your alley. Also, try not to stick things up your alley."

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